Bahrain

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of progress on the implementation of each recommendation in the Report of the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry.

Hugh Robertson: The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry provided 26 recommendations. We assess that the Bahraini Government has made some progress in implementing these recommendations, particularly in the areas of judicial and security sector reform. We welcome the steps already taken and encourage the Bahraini Government to ensure that the remaining recommendations are implemented soon.

Bahrain

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he intends to meet the delegation from Al Wefaq and other National Democratic Opposition parties of Bahrain during its January 2014 visit to the UK.

Hugh Robertson: The Director, Middle East and North Africa Directorate, will meet the delegation from Al-Wefaq and the other National Democratic Opposition parties of Bahrain.

Burma

Naomi Long: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken to ensure that Burmese army soldiers committing acts of sexual violence in conflict are held accountable for their crimes.

Hugo Swire: We regularly lobby the Burmese Government on the rights of women, particularly on preventing sexual violence in conflict areas. We continue to make clear that where serious crimes have been committed, those who have perpetrated them should be held accountable for their actions. During his visit to the UK last year, President Thein Sein welcomed the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), initiative on preventing sexual violence in conflict (PSVI). We continue to encourage Burma to join 138 nations and endorse the declaration on PSVI.
	More specifically, the focus of our defence engagement in Burma is adherence to the core principles of democratic accountability, international law and human rights. We have used initial discussions to encourage the Burmese military to step back from politics, address issues such as the use of child soldiers, and take firm and decisive action to tackle sexual violence in conflict areas.

Central African Republic

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the recent mass emigration from the Central African Republic on stability in that country and the wider region.

Mark Simmonds: The appalling and deteriorating situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) is largely confined within its borders but it has had an impact on its neighbours through refugee flows and cross-border violence. The return of a constitutional and effective government is vital for the long-term stability of CAR and is in the best interests of the region as a whole, together with regional and international partners, we continue to monitor the situation closely. The UK has already contributed £15 million to humanitarian efforts in-country, and we continue to support international organisations such as the WFP and UNHCR who are assisting refugees in the region.

Israel

Tessa Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will make urgent representations to the Israeli authorities concerning the conditions under which Palestinian children are arrested and detained within the first 24 hours of their arrest;
	(2)  what representations he has made to the Israeli authorities about the 40 recommendations made in the report, Children in Military Custody, published in June 2012;
	(3)  what steps the Government has taken to ensure that specific legal duties and obligations under article 1 of the Fourth Geneva convention, to respect and to ensure respect for the convention in all circumstances, are being honoured in relation to the detention of children in military custody in the occupied territories.

Hugh Robertson: We regularly urge the Israeli authorities to act in accordance with international law, including their legal obligations under the Fourth Geneva convention, and to adopt recommendations of the report—including recommendations relating to the first 24 hours of arrest and detention such as not making arrests at night, informing parents of a child’s arrest in Arabic, ending shackling, allowing a parent or lawyer to accompany the child on arrest and audio-visual recording of interviews —and will continue to do so. Our ambassador to Tel Aviv discussed the issue and recommendations with the Israeli Attorney-General, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice on 31 December. The UK also raised this issue at Israel’s Universal Periodic Review session at the UN Human Rights Council on 29 October.

Procurement

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff of each grade in his Department have the authority to make a purchase; what proportion of those staff have professional procurement qualifications; and what the key indicators used to assess procurement officers' performance are.

David Lidington: All Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) procurement is subject to systems and controls to ensure value for money is delivered, including separating budgetary and procurement authority and ensuring budgetary approval is provided before a procurement commences.
	Any procurement over £80,000 is managed or overseen by the Operations Team of the Corporate Procurement Group and each officer within that team has their own delegated procurement authority, the maximum level being dependent on the Officer's grade. The procurements they manage are subject to additional governance and scrutiny starting at the Business Case stage before procurement commences. Dependent on the value of the procurement approval may be subject to additional internal approval and oversight from our Operations Committee and Management Board or external approval from the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury in line with spending controls. For purchasing valued under £80,000 the FCO delegates authority up to fixed sums against each grade of staff in the FCO structure.
	All FCO staff have objectives and personal development plans agreed with their managers and aligned with the current FCO Competency Framework. FCO staff who are dedicated to purchasing will have objectives reflecting this work.

Rwanda

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will work with UN Security Council members and the UK's allies in the Southern African Development Community to ensure a resolution is passed to mandate a neutralisation of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda and the Hutu militia group.

Mark Simmonds: UN resolution 2098 mandates UN peacekeeping force MONUSCO, including through its Intervention Brigade, to neutralise all armed groups active in DRC, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda. It is important to note that protection of civilians remains the main objective of the mission, and any consideration of military action is within this context.

South Sudan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on (a) the intervention of US Special Envoy Donald Booth in South Sudan and (b) current preparations for ceasefire negotiations between the South Sudanese government and rebel forces.

Mark Simmonds: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has sent a senior diplomat to engage with the parties to the conflict and support the mediation process led by the International Authority on Development (IGAD). He and other British officials are co-ordinating closely with US Special Envoy Booth, as well as with the Norwegian and EU envoys. We share the common goal of ensuring the talks achieve a cessation of hostilities as soon as possible. A proposal for a ceasefire agreement, including independent monitoring and verification, is under discussion by the parties. We will continue to work closely with Troika partners to urge both parties to fully commit to a cessation of hostilities, and to offer our full support to the IGAD team.

Sudan

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the UK has made to the government of Sudan on ending its policies that remove Christian missionaries and persecute those who convert to Christianity from Islam.

Mark Simmonds: We regularly press the Sudanese Government to respect freedom of religion for all its citizens, and raise this both bilaterally and in relevant multilateral organisations. We have raised specific incidences of restrictions on religious freedom, including our concerns at the expulsion of foreign nationals connected to Christian groups. We are encouraging the Government to embark on a process of political reform, including adoption of an inclusive constitution that respects freedom of religion and other human rights. Urging a greater respect of human rights was a core objective in my recent visit to Sudan.

Thailand

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what legal assistance his Department is providing to Andy Hall who has been accused of criminal defamation in Thailand.

Hugo Swire: We are aware of Mr Hall's case and are in regular touch with him. As set out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Consular guidance, we provide general information about local police and legal procedures, but we cannot provide legal assistance or advice to British nationals. Officials at the British embassy in Bangkok have met with Mr Hall to listen to his concerns and advise him of the consular assistance we can offer.
	Information about the consular services the FCO provides can be found at the following link:
	www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment _data/file/35519/support-for-british-nationaIs-abroad.pdf

EU Law

John Redwood: To ask the Attorney-General how many EU directives the Law Officers' Departments have transposed into UK law since 2010; and how many directly acting EU regulations have come into effect in his Department's area of responsibility in the same period.

Oliver Heald: None, the Law Officers' Departments have no responsibilities for any EU directives or regulations.

Building Societies

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to increase the provision of current accounts and credit cards through building societies.

Sajid Javid: Decisions about whether to offer current accounts or credit cards remain commercial decisions for building societies. Societies traditionally focus on providing vital mortgage and savings services.
	However, several building societies already offer current accounts and credit cards. A key task of the new Payments Systems Regulator for which the Government has legislated in the Banking Reform Act, will be to ensure new entrants can access the payments systems on fair and transparent terms. A key benefit of this will be to make it easier for new firms, including building societies, to enter the current account market.

Building Societies and Credit Unions

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he has taken to encourage the development of building societies and credit unions as a method of increasing competition within the retail banking sector.

Sajid Javid: The Government committed in the coalition agreement to promote building societies and credit unions and foster diversity in financial services.
	This has led to significant action. For instance the Government is making a £38 million investment in credit unions over the next three years, alongside increasing the maximum interest rate from 2% to 3% per month. The aim is to support the credit union sector to modernise and provide sustainable financial services for up to 1 million additional people.
	The Government has also legislated via the Banking Reform Act to carve out the entire building society sector from ring-fencing requirements, as well as taking steps to modernise building societies legislation to help them compete on a more level playing field with banks.

Legal Costs

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated cost to his Department is of (a) internal counsel and legal cost and (b) external counsel and legal costs in the matter of the legal challenge to the remuneration provisions of the EU capital requirements legislation.

Nicky Morgan: The Government launched a legal challenge to the bonus cap and related provisions in the EU capital requirements directive 4, and capital requirements regulation in September 2013. Costs are expected to be in line with the information presented in the House of Commons EU Scrutiny Committee report (HC671) ‘Subsidiarity—monitoring by national parliaments: challenging a measure before the EU Court of Justice’, in September 2013.

Minimum Wage

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employers have been (a) recorded by HM Revenue and Customs, (b) prosecuted and (c) convicted for failure to pay eligible employees the national minimum wage in each of the last three years.

David Gauke: The Government takes the enforcement of NMW very seriously and HMRC enforce the national minimum wage legislation on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and has done so since the introduction of NMW in April 1999. It does that by investigating all complaints made about employers suspected of not paying the minimum wage, in addition carrying out targeted enforcement where it identifies a high risk of non-payment of NMW.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury (Emily Thornberry) on 23 Apr 2013, Official Report, column 814W, for details of the number of non-compliant employers for the period requested.
	I further refer the hon. Member to my answer to the right hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr Lammy) on 8 October 2013, Official Report, column 152W, with regard to prosecutions. There have been two successful criminal prosecutions pursued in the last four years, both under this Government.

Tax Allowances: Pensions

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the distributional effects of tax relief on pension contributions;
	(2)  what proportion of total tax relief on pension contributions is attributable to contributions to (a) defined benefit schemes and (b) defined contribution schemes;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the annual allowance for pension contributions on (a) defined contribution schemes and (b) defined benefit schemes.

David Gauke: Tax relief on pension contributions is given at an individual's marginal tax rate as the primary incentive through which the Government encourages pension savings. In 2011-12 an estimated £34.9 billion of tax relief was provided on contributions to approved pensions schemes:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/pension-stats/pen6.pdf
	It has been estimated that around one third of this relief goes to Basic Rate taxpayers; the remainder to Higher and Additional Rate taxpayers.
	HMRC publishes statistics on contributions to personal pensions at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/pension-stats.htm
	However, robust estimates of the proportion of relief which is attributable to contributions to defined benefit and defined contribution schemes are not available.
	The annual allowance limits the total amount of tax relief that an individual may receive on their pension savings in any single year (subject to the provision of three years carry forward). The rules that are used to test contributions against the allowance have been designed to ensure fairness between those contributing into defined benefit and defined contribution schemes. HMRC does not have an assessment of the effect of the annual allowance depending on the scheme type.

Driving: Young People

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to reduce the cost of car insurance for young drivers.

Robert Goodwill: The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience. The Government is concerned about the increase in insurance costs.
	The Government is considering how to improve the way people learn to drive and are tested; to improve the road safety education of young people; and to provide opportunities for additional training for newly-qualified drivers.
	Young drivers continue to be some of the most 'at risk' road users and are seeing some of the highest premiums. However, we have noted that in recent months all insurance premiums, including those for young drivers, appear to be falling. We are looking at ways to improve safety and thus drive down the costs of their insurance.

Driving: Young People

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2013, Official Report, column 629W, on driving: young people, what his timetable is for consideration of the issue of young driver safety.

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department plans to publish the Green Paper on young driver safety.

Robert Goodwill: At present, there is no timetable for issuing the Green Paper on the safety of young drivers. It is vital that the Government strikes the right balance so that young drivers remain safe on our roads but at the same time their freedom is not restricted. We feel that it is important that all views are considered and the right decision is made. We will issue a paper when we have considered this further.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many prosecutions have been undertaken by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency against owners of foreign-registered vehicles that have remained in the UK beyond registration deadline in the last year.

Stephen Hammond: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has not taken forward any prosecutions against owners of foreign registered vehicles that have remained in the UK beyond the six month exemption period in the last year.

Motorways

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of three dimensional laser scanning technology in reducing motorway closure times; and if he will provide further roll-out to police forces subsequent to the funding awards made in December 2011.

Robert Goodwill: Monitoring of laser scanner use by police forces show a time savings of over 40 minutes. Police forces have been challenged recently by Ministers to use scanners more and we will consider further funding awards in due course.

Offshore Industry

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2013, Official Report, column 506W, on offshore industry, for what reasons the (a) Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma Mk 1 and (b) Eurocopter EC225 Super Puma models do not feature in the table provided; and if he will provide the information requested in relation to these helicopter models.

Robert Goodwill: The table published on 2 December sets out that there are 21 Eurocopter AS332 Super Puma (Mk 1) helicopters operated from Aberdeen. The table also sets out that there are 20 AS332 Super Puma (Mk II) helicopters operated from Aberdeen. A transcription error in the description of the Super Puma Mk II's incorrectly attributed a Eurocopter type AS332, which should be replaced with type EC225.

Railway Network

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what improvements to the UK rail network are required by the Trans-European Conventional Rail Network.

Robert Goodwill: The new TEN-T regulation has a dual layer network from 2014: a Comprehensive Network (defined by member states), providing connectivity into a more focused Core Network (defined by the Commission) which brings together routes, nodes and hubs of strategic importance for transport flows within the internal market and between the EU and its neighbours. There is no Conventional Network.
	The regulation has four main standards which the Commission see as key to delivering interoperability and better modal integration for the rail network:
	full electrification of the TEN-T Network;
	deployment of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS);
	the ability to accommodate 740 m freight trains on Core Network freight lines; and
	core ports and airports identified in the TEN-T regulation to be linked to the TEN-T rail network by 2030 and 2050 respectively.
	We believe that the final compromise text contains sufficient flexibility in relation to technical standards, infrastructure developments and deadlines by recognising the need to take account of member states' finances and to consider the economic viability of projects.

Energy: Industry

Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of jobs that will be created in the UK supply chain for the energy industry as a result of the provisions of the Energy Act 2013.

Michael Fallon: The Electricity Market Reform programme, which is implemented through provisions in the Energy Act 2013, could support up to a quarter of a million jobs by 2020 in the UK directly and through supply chains. The Department has not made an assessment of the split between jobs supported directly and through the supply chain.
	Electricity market reform is already having an impact on investment and therefore employment. In October 2013 the key terms of an investment contract were agreed for Hinkley Point C; paving the way for construction of the first new UK nuclear power station in a generation. There has been a high level of interest in the Final Investment Decision Enabling for Renewables process and DECC has sent draft investment contracts to the 16 projects progressing in this process.

Fracking

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the evidential basis is of the Prime Minister's statement on 13 January 2014 that the UK has the strongest environmental controls over the hydraulic fracturing of shale gas.

Michael Fallon: The Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering's report “Shale Gas Extraction in the UK: a review of hydraulic fracturing”, published in June 2012 concluded that environmental (and health and safety) risks associated with hydraulic fracturing could be managed effectively in the UK
	“as long as operational best practices are implemented and enforced through regulation”.
	They also commended the UK's goal based approach which fosters innovation and continuous improvement to risk management.
	The UK has over 50 years of experience of regulating the onshore oil and gas industry nationally; and the Health and Safety Executive and UK environmental regulators are widely recognised as excellent organisations. We have a strong regulatory regime for exploratory activities and we will look continuously to improve it as the industry develops.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Coventry

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many households in (a) Coventry and (b) Coventry North East constituency have received assistance from the Warm Home Discount Scheme.

Gregory Barker: Regional or constituency data is not available for the number of people applying for or receiving assistance under the warm home discount.
	In 2012-13, an overall total of 1,157,879 pensioners received a core group rebate of £130 under the Warm Home Discount Scheme across Great Britain.
	In addition to the core group rebates in 2012-13, 489,494 low income and vulnerable households received a £130 rebate by applying to their energy supplier under the broader group.
	Furthermore, 966,823 customers received bill support under the legacy spending elements of the scheme.
	A full annual report on the operation of warm home discount in 2012-13 has been published by Ofgem and is available at:
	https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/warm-home-discount-annual-report-scheme-year-2

Agriculture: Subsidies

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of the Common Agricultural Payment compulsory standard for the single farm payment on flood risks.

George Eustice: Farmers applying for payments under the common agricultural policy are required to meet certain rules under cross compliance. Assessment of flood risk does not form part of the general considerations for setting these rules. However, rules covering soil issues such as run-off and compaction do contain measures which can contribute towards reducing flood risk.

Bovine Tuberculosis: South West

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to publish the Independent Experts Panel report on the recent pilot badger culls in Somerset and Gloucestershire.

George Eustice: The Independent Expert Panel continues to consider the results of the pilots and prepare its report. As an independent body the timing of their report's completion and submission to Ministers is ultimately a matter for them.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse has been of policing the badger cull for the (a) original six week period and (b) extension period in (i) Gloucestershire and (ii) Somerset.

Damian Green: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 462W.

Crime: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of recent trends in the level of crime in the London Borough of Havering.

Norman Baker: The Home Office collects data on offences recorded by police at Community Safety Partnership (CSP) level. The table provided shows the total number of offences (excluding fraud) recorded in the Havering CSP in each of the last five years.
	
		
			 Total offences in Havering CSP (excluding fraud offences), last five years to June 
			 Year to Number 
			 June 2009 16,551 
			 June 2010 16,477 
			 June 2011 16,767 
			 June 2012 16,140 
		
	
	
		
			 June 2013 15,494 
			 Note: For the year ending June 2013 figures, ONS published headline national crime figures that include centralised (Action Fraud) recording of fraud and a separate series which excluded fraud. Due to the staggered move of recording fraud offences by forces to Action Fraud, the figure excludes fraud offences to allow for consistent comparisons.

Drugs: Misuse

Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking in response to the UN Secretary General's call for member states to conduct a wide-ranging and open debate that considers all options on drugs policy.

Norman Baker: The UK coalition Government is committed to working with the international community, including through the UN and EU, to address the significant harms drugs cause to individuals, families and communities.
	The March 2014 UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs will be an important forum for the debate on how the international community can work together to ensure the global approach to drugs is as effective as it can be. We will continue to advocate a balanced and evidence-based international response that combines effective enforcement to restrict the supply of drugs with efforts to reduce demand and build recovery.
	We are building on the commitment in the 2010 Drug Strategy to “review new evidence on what works in other countries and what we can learn from it” by undertaking a study that will gather evidence on best practice in other countries.
	As part of the study, the former Minister for Crime Prevention, Jeremy Browne MP, visited Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, South Korea, Japan, USA and Canada. I visited the Czech Republic and officials went to Switzerland in December last year and we plan to hold a videoconference with New Zealand in the near future.

Sexual Offences

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 6 January 2014, Official Report, column 42W, on sexual offences, how many sexual offences were reported to the police in the most recent year for which figures are available; what the proportion of historic sexual offences are not yet on the data hub; and if she will publish all such figures not on the data hub.

Norman Baker: Data held centrally refer to crimes recorded by the police as opposed to crimes reported to the police. Police forces in England and Wales recorded 55,812 sexual offences in the year to June 2013.
	The historical sexual offences analysis referred to in the question was calculated using available Home Office Data Hub (HODH) data for the 23 forces already supplying the detailed data via this method. In the year to June 2013, these forces accounted for around a half of police recorded sexual offences.
	Consequently, around half of the sexual offences recorded in the year to June 2013 are recorded by forces that are not currently on the HODH.
	Forces not currently supplying data to the HODH do not provide information on the date the offence took place. Therefore, the Home Office does not hold such figures for those forces.

Employment Tribunals Service: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  which body has statutory responsibility for the independent reviewing of complaint handling in relation to employment judges sitting in Scotland; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the Lord President of the Court Session on responsibility for the independent review of complaints handling in relation to employment judges sitting in Scotland; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the responsibility for independent review of the handling of complaints in relation to employment judges sitting in Scotland.

Shailesh Vara: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), has not had any discussions with the Lord President or the Scottish Government; however, he is aware that an issue currently exists in relation to Employment Judges in Scotland in that they are not covered by the judicial conduct and discipline process provided for under the Judiciary Courts (Scotland) Act 2008 (Scottish courts judiciary) or the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (England and Wales courts and tribunals judiciary and UK tribunals). The matter has also been raised by the Lord President with the Advocate General for Scotland and will be brought to the attention of the relevant departmental interest.

Government Procurement Card

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when his Department last published details of expenditure of over £500 using government procurement cards.

Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice has published details of all GPC transactions of £500 and above from April 2011 up until, and including, December 2012.
	Work to update our transparency data to ensure its accuracy is ongoing and we will publish our 2013 figures in due course.

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice where each of the referrals to the government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by the Salvation Army is now located; what contact is made with such people at the end of the 45 day reflection period; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Green: Since 1 July 2011 the Salvation Army has been contracted to provide support and assistance to adult victims of human trafficking for a minimum of 45 days or until a victims receives a 'Conclusive Grounds' decision. Under the terms of their contract with the Ministry of Justice, the Salvation Army is not required to maintain contact nor record information on the location of victims once they have exited contract services. However TSA and its sub-contractors work closely with a range of other partners to ensure that victims continue to receive support if it is needed.
	If victims have a right to reside in the UK they may have access to mainstream benefits and will receive support services as needed from local authorities and other mainstream support provision. If a victim wishes to return to their home country, and it is safe to do so, they will be supported in their return by the appropriate authorities.

NHS: Freedom of Information

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to broaden Freedom of Information legislation so that the same transparency requirements apply to private providers who deliver NHS services as the public sector.

Simon Hughes: The Government recognises the importance of maintaining transparency in relation to outsourced public services. The NHS Standard Contract already includes a provision requiring private providers to assist and co-operate with Commissioners to enable them to meet their obligations under the Freedom of Information Act (the Act). In our response to the Justice Select Committee's Post Legislative Scrutiny of the Act we also made clear that guidance will be provided in a revised Code of Practice to be issued under section 45 of the Act to promote openness by all contractors providing public services, including through the use and enforcement of contractual transparency provisions to encourage still greater openness.
	Copies of the response to Post Legislative Scrutiny can be found in the House Library and at the following web address:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/217298/gov-resp-justice-comm-foi-act.pdf

Oakwood Prison

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on which occasions HMP Oakwood has called on tornado-trained staff from other prisons to deal with disturbances since first opening.

Jeremy Wright: Operation Tornado is terminology used by the National Offender Management Service to describe mutual aid arrangements across the prison estate in England and Wales. These arrangements are in place to assist establishments responding to serious incidents, such as acts of concerted indiscipline by providing specially trained resources above and beyond those already available at an establishment.
	HM Prison Oakwood has called on tornado-trained staff from other prisons on one occasion since opening, on 5 January 2014 for an act of concerted indiscipline. Tornado-trained staff were deployed mainly from G4S-run prisons with some additional support from public sector prisons.

Prisoners: Clothing

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that female prisoners have sufficient clothing;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to make sure that the restrictions imposed on parcels being sent to prisons do not prevent (a) male and (b) female prisoners from having sufficient clothing.

Jeremy Wright: There is a statutory requirement, under the prison rules, for convicted prisoners to be provided with clothing adequate for their warmth and health.
	On 1 November 2013, the revised incentives and earned privileges (IEP) policy framework came into effect in all prisons in England and Wales. Prisoners who comply with the requirements of the framework can gain increased access to privileges, including greater access to their private cash and eligibility to obtain better paid work; such prisoners are also permitted to have a greater range of items in possession. Prisoners who do not comply have reduced access to private cash and are allowed fewer items in possession.
	To allow families and friends to bring or send in property, including clothing, would undermine our efforts to ensure that prisoners are rewarded for positive behaviour and engaging with efforts to rehabilitate them. Governors do have discretion to allow a one-off parcel of clothing to be handed in or sent in to prisoners (both male and female) following conviction.
	However, it is generally presumed that items for convicted prisoners should not be handed in or sent in by their friends or families unless there are exceptional circumstances. Governors have discretion to determine what constitutes exceptional circumstances; this could include, for example, where there is a need to replace clothing where laundry facilities are temporarily restricted.

Prisons

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to improve performance at new prisons and implement lessons learnt from HM Prison Oakwood since that establishment's opening.

Jeremy Wright: We are constantly seeking to learn lessons to improve the running of the prison estate, both to improve security and to promote the rehabilitation of offenders.
	Opening a new prison is a hugely complex operational and logistical task and the first two years of operation for any new prison are invariably challenging. The majority of prisons that have opened in the past 15 years have mobilisation phase with performance improving over time.
	The Ministry of Justice is working closely with the contractors managing the new prisons, to ensure that good practice is shared and that the contractors deliver to their contractual requirements, so that new prisons mature into well-run establishments that reduce the risk of future reoffending by those detained in them.

Prisons: Wrexham

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what effect the recent disturbance in HMP Oakwood will have on his Department's decision on whether the planned prison in Wrexham will be privately-run in part or in full; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many jobs will be created when the new planned prison in Wrexham opens;
	(3)  whether the proposed prison in Wrexham will be run by the public sector.

Jeremy Wright: We are considering a full range of options relating to the operation of the new prison but no decisions have been made on whether the establishment will be operated by the public or private sector. We will identify a provider(s) for the prison who is able to deliver the best value for the public as well as providing a safe, secure and decent environment.
	Final decisions on the staffing profile are dependent on the operator but we estimate that between 800 and 1,100 jobs will be created directly at the prison.
	It is estimated that approximately one hundred jobs will come from those staff working in the new prison and visitors to the prison spending on local goods and services.
	In addition, (and based on previous experience), the new prison will provide significant job opportunities during the construction phase, many of which will be filled by local small to medium enterprises.

Probation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what staff turnover was in each probation trust in England and Wales in each month since 2010.

Jeremy Wright: Information on the number of staff leaving the Probation Service, is not collected centrally. The 35 probation trusts are non-departmental public Bodies (NDPBs) and have their own HR systems. In order to answer the question it would be necessary to obtain the information from each probation trust and this would incur disproportionate costs.
	Information on staffing levels at Probation Trust level is published in the Quarterly Probation Service Workforce Information reports. The link to the reports on GOV.UK is as follows:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/probation-service-workforce-quarterly-reports

Honours: Durham

Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which officials honours were bestowed upon people from County Durham in each of the last five years.

Greg Clark: The following table sets out the official honours on the Prime Minister's List awarded to those with addresses in Country Durham in 2009-14.
	
		
			  Kt DBE CB/CBE OBE MBE BEM Total 
			 NY14 — — — 2 6 4 12 
			 6D13 — — — — 2 3 5 
			 NY13 — — 1 4 7 3 15 
			 BD12 — — — — 5 3 8 
			 NY12 — — 1 3 6 — 10 
			 BD11 — 1 — 1 6 — 8 
			 NYU — — 2 3 11 — 16 
			 BD10 — — 1 3 12 — 16 
			 NY10 — — — 6 14 — 20 
			 BD09 — — — 3 6 — 9 
			 NY09 — — 1 1 6 — 8 
			 Total — 1 6 26 81 13 127

Iraq Committee of Inquiry

Mike Wood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what steps his Department has taken to ensure that the Chilcot Inquiry can publicise all the evidence gathered;
	(2)  if he will remove Sir Jeremy Heywood from his role in deciding which documents should be released to the Chilcot Inquiry.

Francis Maude: The Iraq Inquiry has been provided with all of the documents it has requested. Procedures for the publication of government documents by the inquiry are set out in the Protocol agreed between Government and the inquiry, which also sets out the role of the Cabinet Secretary. The Government has no plans to change this.

Lord-Lieutenants: Durham

Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  if he will publish a detailed breakdown of the costs incurred by the Lord Lieutenant of County Durham in the fulfilment of her duties since her appointment to the role;
	(2)  if he will publish a detailed breakdown of the costs incurred by each of the deputy lord lieutenants of County Durham in the fulfilment of their duties since their appointment to that role;
	(3)  if he will publish a detailed breakdown of the costs incurred by the Vice Lord Lieutenant of County Durham in the fulfilment of his duties since his appointment to that role.

Greg Clark: The Durham Lieutenancy received an annual budget of £50,705 for the financial year 2013-14.
	It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the costs incurred by the Lord-Lieutenant for Durham, or the Vice Lord-Lieutenant when he is representing Durham, as it is one of 11 Metropolitan Lieutenancies which submit bids each year for a fixed-amount of funding on the basis of an annual budget negotiated in advance by the Lieutenancy and the Cabinet Office, Durham therefore does not provide expenses claims to the Cabinet Office.

Lord-Lieutenants: Durham

Kevan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what criteria and procedures were used for the appointment of each of the incumbent deputy lieutenants in County Durham;
	(2)  what criteria and procedures were used for the appointment of the incumbent Vice Lord Lieutenant of County Durham;
	(3)  what criteria and procedures were used for the appointment of the incumbent Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of County Durham;
	(4)  what the area of residence is of each of the incumbent deputy lieutenants in County Durham.

Greg Clark: Vice Lord-Lieutenants are nominated by Lord Lieutenant following the consideration of available candidates. The nomination is submitted to the Prime Minister and the Queen for approval.
	Appointment of Deputy Lieutenants in Durham is the responsibility of the Lord-Lieutenant of Durham, subject only to the Queen not disapproving of the granting of the commission. Their residence is not a matter for central Government.
	The selection procedure and job description of Lord-Lieutenants’ secretaries is not determined by central Government.

Youth Work

Tim Loughton: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what responsibility his Department has for the Youth Worker Workforce; and when such responsibilities were taken on.

Nick Hurd: In July 2013 Cabinet Office became the lead for youth policy, which includes the Government's relationship with the youth sector.
	We recognise that the youth worker workforce play an important role in delivering high quality services that meet our ambition that all young people fulfil their potential.
	The Government believes that organisations delivering services are best placed to decide how to configure and deploy their workforce.

Army: Recruitment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials are employed in the project management team for the Recruiting Partnering Project for army recruitment; and at what Civil Service pay bands such officials are employed.

Anna Soubry: The Recruiting Partnering Project (RPP) is a 10-year contract with Capita Business Services Ltd to deliver support to the Army's recruiting and selection operation for both regular and reserve personnel RPP relies upon very close working relations between Capita and the Army in a combined management structure, at all levels, and joint governance using existing bodies.
	A Partnering Support Team has been set up to manage the project on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. This team, led by an Army Colonel, is made up of five military and five civil service personnel. Civil service posts are made up of one Band CI and four Band C2 grades. The team currently has one external contractor, directly attached to it.
	The Partnering Support Team is strongly supported by the wider Headquarters Army Recruiting and Training Directorate, based at Upavon.

Army: Recruitment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the project management team for the Recruiting Partnering Project for army recruitment first informed (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department of (i) delays and (ii) cost overruns in that programme.

Anna Soubry: Ministers and officials were advised of emerging issues over the new recruiting processes in early summer of 2013. Following further work in the Ministry of Defence, the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), concluded, in principle, in October 2013 that the long-term IT solution lay in reverting to the Capita option.
	Despite the IT challenges, the cost of the Recruiting Partnering Project remains affordable within its original budget.

Army: Recruitment

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many army and reserve applications he estimates have been lost as a result of faults in the Recruiting Partnering Project.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is not held and it is not possible accurately to estimate such totals.

HMS Tireless

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 719W, on HMS Tireless, what the cost of repairs was to HMS Tireless following that submarine's return to HM Naval Base Devonport in February 2013 with a leak in the reactor cooling circuit.

Philip Dunne: The HMS Tireless defect repair was undertaken at Devonport between February and June 2013 under the Warship Support Modernisation Initiative. Total direct costs are subject to on-going negotiations.

Pay

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the job title and brief job description is of every official in his Department earning over £100,000 per year;
	(2)  what the (a) pay and (b) pay scale is of employees within DE&S+ who earn over £100,000 per year.

Anna Soubry: This Government has made difficult decisions to tackle the deficit in the Defence budget inherited from the previous Administration. As part of this we have already reduced the Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilian work force by over 20,500 (24%) since April 2010, and we will achieve our target reduction of some 32,000 (38%) by 2020. However, MOD civil servants manage some of the most complex and critical projects in the country and we have to be able to attract and retain high calibre people to undertake these challenging roles.
	There are currently 36 civilian employees in the MOD who are paid in excess of £100,000. This figure represents around 0.05% of the civilian work force. Details of senior posts at the MOD, including job titles, salary information and brief job descriptions are published on a regular basis. The latest dataset from March 2013 was published in August 2013 and can be found at the following address:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/departmental-organisation-charts-mod-2013
	An updated dataset as at 30 September 2013 will be available on the same website shortly.

Training

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Ministers in his Department have undertaken training courses; and in the case of each such course what the (a) name of the course provider, (b) purpose of the course and (c) cost of each session in the course was.

Anna Soubry: None of the Ministers currently serving in the Ministry of Defence have undertaken any training courses.

Children: Maintenance

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the progress of the Child Support Agency in restarting committal proceedings since the end of the moratorium.

Steve Webb: Since the end of the moratorium the Child Support Agency has applied for hearing dates for cases where a parent has had their committal suspended in an initial hearing on condition they comply with certain payment conditions and has subsequently defaulted (‘show cause' cases). In these cases the Agency has generally been successful in getting agreement from the courts to lift the suspension of the measures imposed.
	While the flow of new commitment cases has reduced significantly as a consequence of revised procedures, the Agency is no longer confining cases going to court to ‘show cause' cases. Other new applications have now been lodged in court and hearing dates assigned which will fully test out our revised processes and procedures. Providing these cases progress satisfactorily, a number of other cases which are at an earlier stage in the enforcement process are likely to quickly follow.

Employment: Older Workers

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to increase the employment prospects of those aged over 50.

Esther McVey: Jobcentre Plus advisers have the flexibility to offer all claimants, including older people, a comprehensive menu of help which includes skills provision and job search support. All claimants who are long term unemployed can access the tailored, back to work support from the Work Programme.
	Jobcentres have the freedom to innovate approaches to help older people, examples of approaches currently being used in some districts across the country, include:
	Delivering customer focus groups for older people to ascertain their needs to help develop future provision for this group.
	Information sessions specific to older claimant's needs covering CVs/job applications, interviews, further support and moving into employment or self employment.
	Providing dedicated advisers for claimants aged over 50.
	Work clubs for claimants aged over 50.
	IT provision aimed specifically at older claimants.
	In addition, DWP is developing and sharing an internal Good Practice Guide—‘Creating Opportunities and Breaking Down Barriers’ by the end of March 2014 and taking steps to ensure advisers are able to meet the needs of older claimants.
	On retention: DWP's Age Positive Initiative provides guidance on employing older workers and the business benefits of adopting flexible approaches. BIS' Mid-life career review was set up to prevent early labour market fall out. In 2014, the State- funded DWP Health and Work Advisory Service will make occupational health expertise more widely available; helping employees get back to work more quickly, thereby reducing the chance of them falling out of work altogether.

Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many households that have suffered a bereavement since April 2013 have been affected by the implementation of the under-occupancy charge in social housing in (a) the metropolitan borough of Wirral, (b) Birkenhead constituency and (c) the UK.

Esther McVey: The information requested is unavailable.
	Housing benefit claimants who suffer a bereavement have a 12 month grace period before the size criteria rules are applied to the deceased person's bedroom. Where the deceased person is a partner this will have no effect, even after 12 months.
	Therefore the number of households who are subject to the removal of the spare room subsidy as a result of a bereavement since April 2013 would be zero, where they have not had any other change to their circumstances or moved address.

Industrial Health and Safety

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times the Health and Safety Executive has applied a Fee for Intervention in each month since October 2012; and what the total of such fees in each such month was.

Michael Penning: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issue Fee for Intervention invoices every two months. Since the introduction of Fee for Intervention on 1 October 2012 the number and value of the invoices that have been issued are as follows:
	
		
			 Period covered Date invoices issued Number of invoices issued Value of invoices issued (£) 
			 October to November 2012 25 January 2013 1,418 727,644.81 
			 December to January 2012 20 March 2013 1,807 857,254.34 
			 February to March 2012 17 May 2013 2,541 1,088,874.37 
			 April to May 2012 12 July 2013 2,680 1,292,356.93 
			 June to July 2012 26 September 2013 2,995 1,566,435.06 
			 August to September 2012 25 November 2013 3,476 1,550,054.74 
		
	
	These figures are regularly published on the HSE website. They can be found here
	http://www.hse.gov.uk/fee-for-intervention/ffi-invoices-oct12-jul13.pdf
	FFI was introduced on 1 October 2012, any regulatory work HSE commenced before this date but which remains ongoing is exempt from Fee for Intervention. Since 1 October 2012 the proportion of ongoing regulatory work exempt from FFI has gradually reduced as interventions have been concluded. This has resulted in the number of Fee for Intervention invoices gradually rising as the proportion of cost recoverable work increases in line with new interventions.

National Insurance

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many citizens of Romania and Bulgaria registered for a national insurance number in the first two weeks of January 2014.

Esther McVey: The information requested is not available. The Department publishes quarterly national statistics on national insurance number registrations to adult overseas nationals.
	Statistics for the period 1 January 2014 to 31 March 2014, will be published on 22 May 2014. These statistics will be available at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
	Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of including pre-1997 indexation in determining the pensions of those covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of increasing to 100 per cent the pension rights payable to those covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme;
	(3)  what average pension is payable to those people covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the total value of pension liabilities covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme.

Steve Webb: In 2010 we estimated that the cost of providing pre-1997 indexation at RPI capped at 2.5% would be around £845 million (net present value) and the cost of providing assistance set at 100% of the expected pension would be around £550 million (net present value). It should be noted that these estimates are now out of date and cannot be relied upon as a reflection of the costs today.
	We do not know the average pension payable to people covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme. However, in November 2013, the average annual amount of assistance paid to those covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme, including those whose annuities are being topped up, was £3,415.
	We have made no estimate of the total value of pension liabilities covered by the Financial Assistance Scheme.

Social Security

Simon Danczuk: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to complete a review of the operation of local discretionary welfare provision in 2013-14 before discontinuing funding for such provision.

Steve Webb: It was always the intention that 2014-15 would be the last year of separate funding for local welfare provision from the Department for Work and Pensions. Councils will continue to provide support to those in their community who face financial difficulties or who find themselves in unavoidable circumstances.
	In contrast to a centralised grant system that was poorly targeted councils can now choose how to best to support local welfare needs within their areas.
	This Government continues to provide support to local authorities through general funds as part of the Government's commitment to reducing ring-fencing and ending top-down Whitehall control.

Social Security Benefits

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 8 January 2014, Official Report, column 241W, on social security benefits, if he will publish the written guidance provided to staff to help them decide whether a short term benefit advance is appropriate.

Esther McVey: A copy of the current written guidance, which staff use to help them decide whether a short term benefit advance is appropriate, will be published and placed in the House of Commons Library.

Social Security Benefits

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information the Government has recently made available about accessing local welfare provision in their area.

Steve Webb: We have made no specific information available recently. However, to promote awareness of the new arrangements, we continue to work very closely with English local authorities and the devolved nations to support them in delivering their services so that claimants can get timely access to the support available from both the Department and the provision in their communities. This includes messages on the Department’s telephone inquiry lines, scripts for DWP staff to use in jobcentres and call centres, messages on customer letters and information on the benefits pages on the www.gov.uk website.

Vacancies: Corby

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment vacancies were advertised in each Jobcentre Plus office serving Corby constituency in each month since May 2010.

Esther McVey: In November 2012 we introduced Universal Jobmatch, which replaced adverts in Jobcentre Plus offices, therefore we only have figures to meet this request up to that point. The full and part-time vacancy numbers for the Corby constituency from May 2010 to November 2012 are in Table 1. We are unable to provide this information to Jobcentre level.
	
		
			 Table 1 (NOMIS) 
			  Full-time vacancies Part-time vacancies Total 
			 May 2010 677 241 918 
			 June 2010 641 146 787 
			 July 2010 709 152 861 
			 August 2010 865 193 1,058 
			 October 2010 1,323 181 1,504 
			 November 2010 1,080 348 1,428 
			 December 2010 792 140 932 
			 January 2011 533 73 606 
			 February 2011 673 340 1,013 
			 March 2011 535 150 685 
			 April 2011 724 69 793 
			 May 2011 424 118 542 
			 June 2011 712 103 815 
			 July 2011 927 90 1,017 
			 August 2011 877 127 1,004 
			 September 2011 748 117 865 
			 October 2011 999 285 1,284 
			 November 2011 963 167 1,130 
			 December 2011 839 182 1,021 
			 January 2012 579 162 741 
			 February 2012 413 218 631 
			 March 2012 695 187 882 
			 April 2012 918 226 1,144 
			 May 2012 597 168 765 
			 June 2012 986 276 1,262 
			 July 2012 1,159 161 1,320 
			 August 2012 990 172 1,162 
			 September 2012 1,791 210 2,001 
			 October 2012 1,026 224 1,250 
			 November 2012 1,129 423 1,552 
		
	
	Interpretation of NOMIS data needs to take account of changes in recent years to Jobcentre Plus procedures for taking and handling vacancies. These figures are not fully comparable over time and may not indicate developments in the labour market. A more detailed explanation is available on the nomis website.

Work Capability Assessment

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will make changes to the Atos assessment system to make sure that those with severe progressive conditions, who would struggle to find employment, are not deemed fit to work by Atos;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has issued to Atos Healthcare on the fitness to work of those with (a) multiple sclerosis and (b) other severe progressive conditions.

Michael Penning: Under current arrangements, claimants with severe progressive conditions will be placed in the Employment and Support Allowance Support Group if they meet the legislative criteria and will not be required to undertake work related activity unless they request to do so.
	It should be noted, however, that eligibility for employment and support allowance—determined through the Work Capability Assessment—is based on the functional impact of the claimant's condition(s) and not the condition(s) itself or themselves. Assessments consider whether the claimant is functionally capable of work, not their employability.
	DWP decision makers and not Atos health care professionals make the decision on eligibility for employment and support allowance. In doing so they consider all the available evidence, including advice from the Atos health care professional. Guidance and training for Atos Healthcare professionals, agreed with the Department, is contained within Schedule 28 of the contract between DWP and Atos and contains a number of documents relating to severe progressive conditions, an evidence based protocol on multiple sclerosis and a learning set on multiple sclerosis and motor neurone disease.

Park Home Residents

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government have taken to protect park home residents from excessive charges by site owners.

Kris Hopkins: For far too long site owners were able to exploit park home owners, increasing their pitch fees year on year with no explanation. But not anymore. Thanks to the Mobile Homes Act 2013, home owners now know what they are being asked to pay for and why.

Council Housing

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many council houses have been sold under the right to buy scheme since May 2010; and how many council houses have been completed in that time.

Kris Hopkins: Statistics on right to buy sales are published in the Department’s live tables 691, which is available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-sales
	Over the period from April 2010 to September 2013, there have been 16,349 right to buy sales of local authority owned dwellings.
	Statistics on delivery of affordable housing are published in the Department’s live tables 1000, which is available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
	The data underlying in this table can be used to estimate that 5,720 dwellings for social or affordable rent were built or acquired by local authorities over the period from April 2010 to March 2013.
	The one-for-one replacement policy applies to additional local authority sales—that is, sales above the level forecast before the changes were made—that have taken place since the reinvigoration of the right to buy in April 2012.
	Since the reinvigoration, local authorities have sold 10,953 homes, approximately 6,400 of which are additional. Since April 2012, 1,662 dwellings have been started on site or acquired.
	There will invariably be a certain time lag between the right to buy sale and the construction of the new build home, but the replacement timetable is in control of the local authority. If a council were to fail to spend the receipts within three years, it would be required to return the unspent money to government with interest. This provides a strong financial incentive for any slow-coach councils to use this new funding and get on with building more homes for local people.

Homelessness

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much each London local authority spent on homelessness in each year since 2009-10;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the gross expenditure by local authorities on homelessness in each English region in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the gross cost to local authorities in each English region of temporary accommodation in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12 and (d) 2012-13;
	(4)  what estimate he has made of the likely gross cost to local authorities in each English region of (a) homelessness and (b) temporary accommodation in 2013-14;
	(5)  what the gross expenditure was in each London local authority from the General Fund on homelessness in each year from 2009-10 to 2012-13;
	(6)  what the gross expenditure was in each London local authority on temporary accommodation in each year from 2009-10 to 2012-13.

Kris Hopkins: Figures showing local authority expenditure on homelessness and temporary accommodation can be found online:
	2009-10 outturn:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121108165934/http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/2031752.xls
	2010-11 outturn:
	https://www.gov.uk.government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/16450/Revenue_Outturn_RO4_data_2010-11_by_LA_-_27-Nov-2012-v2.xls
	2011-12 outturn:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/244494/Revenue_Outturn__RO4__data_2011-12_by_LA_-_24-Sep-2013.xls
	2012-13 outturn:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/261816/Revenue_Outturn_RO4_data_2012-13_by_LA_-_28-Nov-2013.xls
	My Department does not produce statistics by the former government office regions.
	Net current expenditure on homelessness by local authorities in England was £298 million in 2009-10, £343 million in 2010-11, £305 million in 2011-12 and £342 million in 2012-13. This covers expenditure on temporary accommodation, homelessness prevention, homelessness support and administration.
	Homelessness is lower now than in 27 of the last 30 years. We have retained a strong homelessness safety net protected in law, supported by £470 million of funding (over and above general grant to local authorities) in the current spending review to prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions.

Housing: Construction

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new dwelling completions per 1,000 housing stock there have been since December 2006 in each local authority area.

Kris Hopkins: My Department publishes historic figures for housebuilding completions by district, at Live Tables 253 and 253a, which can be found at:
	www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-house-building
	Historic dwelling stock estimates, by district, can be found at Live Table 125:
	www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacants
	The underlying information is thus reasonably accessible for any further analysis that my hon. Friend may wish to undertake.

New Towns

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether the Government has considered recommendations for any sites for new towns or cities in Oxfordshire since May 2010;
	(2)  what locations the Government has considered for new towns or cities in the South East since 2010.

Kris Hopkins: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs Gillan) on 17 January 2014, Official Report, column 694W.

Non-domestic Rates: Public Houses

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions his Department has had on reforming the way the rateable value of pubs is determined for the purposes of business rates.

Brandon Lewis: The Government announced in the autumn statement that it will consider longer term administrative reforms of business rates which maintain the aggregate tax yield. We will publish a discussion paper in the spring and consult with interested parties including those from the pub sector.

Private Rented Housing

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps his Department has taken to promote longer tenancies for tenants in the private rented sector;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of measures to promote longer tenancies in the private rented sector.

Kris Hopkins: The Government announced in October 2013 that it would encourage landlords and tenants to consider longer tenancies by publishing a model tenancy agreement in early 2014 and finalising a Tenants' Charter. This work is underway.
	The English Housing Survey includes questions on the length of tenancies and trends in tenancy lengths will be kept under review.

Sleeping Rough: Greater London

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were sleeping rough in London in each of the last three years.

Kris Hopkins: The annual rough sleeper headline figure provides a snapshot of rough sleeping levels in England on a single night. The following table sets out the number of people counted or estimated as sleeping rough in each of the last three years in London.
	
		
			 Rough sleeping in London 
			 Autumn Number 
			 2010 415 
			 2011 446 
			 2012 557 
			 Source: Counts or estimates submitted to DCLG by local authorities. 
		
	
	The change in rough sleeping in London has been influenced by the 'No Second Night Out' initiative, which has actively sought to identify—and then help—more rough sleepers, uncovering rough sleeping which was previously hidden or under-reported. This is in contrast to the counts under the last Administration which systematically under-estimated or ignored the true level of rough sleeping.
	We took the important decision to introduce a more accurate assessment of rough sleeping levels to ensure we have a clearer national picture with information from every local authority. Figures collected previously did not include information from the majority of local authorities and so did not give a reliable assessment of the extent of rough sleeping.
	As a result of the successful introduction of the 'No Second Night Out' initiative in London, which we are supporting other areas across England to take up, more rough sleepers are now being found and given the help they need. Around three-quarters of new rough sleepers in London do not spend a second night out.
	According to CHAIN (Combined Homeless and Information Network) data, the majority of rough sleepers in London are foreign nationals.
	My Department's activities have included education campaigns led by the voluntary sector warning those coming here without appropriate support about the dangers of ending up destitute and sleeping rough on our streets. European Economic Area nationals who are begging or sleeping rough will be administratively removed. From the beginning of the year they will then be barred from re-entry for 12 months, unless they can prove they have a proper reason to be here, such as a job.
	More broadly, we are investing £470 million over the current spending review period to help local authorities and voluntary sector partners prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions. This includes £34 million to the Greater London Authority to tackle rough sleeping across the capital; £20 million to support the national roll out of the ‘No Second Night Out’ standard and protect vital front line services and, £5 million for a Social Impact Bond which we have developed with the Greater London Authority to work with approximately 831 people with significant experience of rough sleeping in London over the past two years.
	We have also supported the voluntary sector to deliver 'StreetLink' a national rough sleeping hotline, website and app, to connect rough sleepers to local services. In London, ‘No Second Night Out’ is making a big difference. The CHAIN annual data for 2012-13 shows that 'No Second Night Out' helped ensure that three quarters (75%) of new rough sleepers spend just a single night on London's streets. All local authorities have committed to adopt the 'No Second Night Out' approach.
	The information is also available in the statistical release “Rough sleeping in England: autumn 2012, at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rough-sleeping-in-england-autumn-2012
	More detailed information on rough sleeping in London is collected through CHAIN (Combined Homeless and Information Network) for the Greater London Authority. This contains detailed information on London's rough sleepers collected over the year such as age, sex, nationality and support needs.
	The CHAIN annual report for 2012-13 is available at
	http://www.broadwaylondon.org/CHAIN/Reports/StreettoHomeReports.html

Sleeping Rough: North East

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were sleeping rough in the North East in each of the last three years.

Kris Hopkins: Figures for individual local authorities are published in Table 1 of the Department's ‘Rough Sleeping in England’ publications for each of autumn 2010, autumn 2011 and autumn 2012. These are available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/homelessness-statistics
	My Department does not publish statistics by the former government office regions.
	We took the important decision to introduce a more accurate assessment of rough sleeping levels to ensure we have a clearer national picture with information from every local authority. Figures collected previously did not include information from the majority of local authorities and so did not give a reliable assessment of the extent of rough sleeping.
	We are investing £470 million over the spending review period to help local authorities and voluntary sector partners prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions. This includes £20 million to support the national roll out of the No Second Night Out standard and protect vital front line services.
	In London, No Second Night Out is making a big difference. The CHAIN annual data for 2012-13 shows that No Second Night Out helped ensure that three quarters (75%) of new rough sleepers spend just a single night on London's streets; the majority of rough sleepers in London are foreign nationals. All local authorities have committed to adopt the No Second Night Out approach. We have also supported the voluntary sector to deliver ‘StreetLink' a national rough sleeping hotline, website and app, to connect rough sleepers to local services.

Social Rented Housing: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses have been brought back into use in the London Borough of Havering as a result of changes to the under occupancy penalty.

Kris Hopkins: This information is not collected centrally.
	The removal of the spare room subsidy is helping make better use of our housing stock through encouraging the effective use of social housing. There were approaching 1 million extra rooms being paid for by housing benefit for working age social rented sector tenants; this is not affordable or acceptable when others are living in overcrowded accommodation.
	This change will help us get to grips with the housing benefit bill giving savings of nearly £500 million this year, ensuring a fair deal for the taxpayer and helping tackle the deficit left by the last Administration.

Academies

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much (a) start-up, (b) revenue and (c) capital funding has been allocated to 16-19 academies and free schools that have opened since 2010.

Edward Timpson: Nine 16-19 academies and free schools have opened since 2010. In their recent report ‘Establishing Free Schools’, the National Audit Office said that the Department had set up new schools quickly and at low cost.
	To date, the 16-19 academies and free schools have been allocated an average of £6,853,613 each in start-up, revenue and capital funding.
	This is in comparison to an average cost of £25 million per school under the last Government's Building Schools for the Future programme.

Children in Care

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities undertake assessments of all looked-after children and their parents sufficiently to identify their needs before they return home;
	(2)  what plans he has to ensure that the rights and benefits proposed for voluntarily accommodated children in the consultation, Looked-after children: improving permanence, are properly applied to those children under interim or full care orders;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to ensure that all looked-after children receive the support when returning home needed to increase the likelihood of a successful return.

Edward Timpson: Improving return home practice and support is a priority for this Government.
	Where a child is to remain subject to a care order after returning home, the regulations set out clear requirements to undertake a robust assessment of the parents’ suitability to care for their child, to meet their child's physical, emotional and educational needs and to provide a safe and stable family environment.
	The decision to return a child to their parents under a care order is subject to the scrutiny of a senior nominated officer within the local authority who must be satisfied that the assessment has been properly undertaken, that both the child and their Independent Reviewing Officer have been consulted and that the decision will safeguard and promote the child's welfare. While we recognise that practice must be improved for all children, we are confident that the current statutory framework is robust for those children subject to a care order who are placed with their parents ('Placement of a child with P' regulations 15-20, Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010).
	The proposals that were set out in the Improving Permanence for looked after children consultation aimed to address the particular issues faced by voluntarily accommodated children who return home for whom the regulatory framework is, at present, less clear. This is also the case for those children whose interim or full care order has been, or will be discharged, following the return to their family.
	We are reviewing what changes may be needed to the statutory framework to ensure that local authority duties are clarified for these children returning home. In particular, we are committed to working with the sector to explore how we can improve assessments for these children to ensure that the decision to return a child home, regardless of their legal status, is based on an assessment of the child's support needs, the capacity of the family to meet these needs and the on-going support required to ensure the return home is a success.
	For those children that will remain the subject of a care order following the return home, support and services should be set out in their care plan and reviewed regularly as required by the statutory framework for all looked after children. This is not the case for those children who have been voluntarily accommodated or where the care order has been discharged at the point of returning home as they cease to be looked after. The consultation set out proposals to introduce a duty to provide a 'return plan' identifying the support and services the local authority will provide when a child returns home who has been voluntarily accommodated. We recognise that it would also be important to extend this provision to children returning home where the care order will be discharged at the point of return.
	We are also commissioning research to understand 'what works' when returning children home, how local authorities can share and promote effective practice and how they can use evidence based interventions to support families to ensure that children return home successfully.

Kings Science Academy

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what provision was made in the valuation of the property leased to Kings Science Academy Bradford of its (a) vacancy and letting history and (b) state of repair.

Edward Timpson: The Department for Education commissioned and received an independent report and valuation of the Hartley Business Park before Kings Science Academy entered into a lease for the site. This considered all issues relevant to the valuation of the property. The value of the property was assessed in accordance with the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors' valuation standards.

Schools: Lincolnshire

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much has been paid to each secondary and primary school in north east Lincolnshire in compensation for the loss of services from that local education authority since May 2010.

David Laws: Since May 2010, 36 academies in north east Lincolnshire have been paid for loss of services the local authority would have provided had they been maintained schools.
	Details of the payments and academies receiving payments are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Date opened Academy name Total paid from May 2010 (£) 
			 1 September 2007 Havelock Academy 2,462,600 
			 1 September 2007 Oasis Academy Immingham 1,978,334 
			 1 September 2007 Oasis Academy Wintringham 2,220,794 
			 1 September 2010 Healing School, A Science Academy 1,793,481 
			 1 September 2010 Tollbar Academy 4,541,951 
			 1 September 2010 Cleethorpes Academy 1,834,249 
			 1 August 2011 Ormiston Maritime Academy 1,608,688 
			 1 August 2011 Humberston Academy 1,147,315 
			 1 August 2011 Signhills Academy 537,353 
			 1 September 2011 Cambridge Park Academy (Special School) 691,742 
			 1 September 2011 Humberston Park School (Special School) 370,581 
			 1 September 2011 John Whitgift Academy 753,434 
			 1 November 2011 Lisle Marsden Church of England Academy 521,979 
		
	
	
		
			 1 January 2012 East Ravendale C of E School Academy 102,022 
			 1 January 2012 New Waltham Academy 263,205 
			 1 January 2012 Scartho Junior Academy 212,816 
			 1 January 2012 Waltham Leas Primary Academy 388,503 
			 1 April 2012 Middlethorpe Primary Academy 177,149 
			 1 April 2012 Signhills Infants’ Academy 205,759 
			 1 April 2012 St Joseph's Catholic Primary Voluntary Academy 146,239 
			 1 July 2012 Weelsby Primary School 217,277 
			 1 August 2012 Bursar Primary Academy 138,075 
			 1 August 2012 Thrunscoe Primary Academy 166,736 
			 1 August 2012 Yarborough Primary School 196,260 
			 1 September 2012 Oasis Academy Nunsthorpe 368,145 
			 1 October 2012 Ormiston South Parade 252,855 
			 1 October 2012 Edward Heneage Primary School 152,491 
			 1 October 2012 Strand Primary Academy 132,625 
			 1 November 2012 Macaulay Primary Academy 274,785 
			 1 December 2012 St Mary’s Catholic Primary School Voluntary Academy (Grimsby) 124,090 
			 1 December 2012 Wybers Wood Academy 207,137 
			 1 April 2013 Old Clee Primary School 184,237 
			 1 May 2013 Willows Academy 40,349 
			 1 August 2013 Eastfield Primary School 45,188 
			 1 September 2013 Holy Family Catholic Academy 79,050 
			 1 September 2013 Reynolds Primary School 71,946 
			 Total  24,609,439

Accident and Emergency Departments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients attending accident and emergency departments were seen in under four hours in the first week of January of each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison: The following table shows the proportion of patients attending accident and emergency (A&E) departments (all types) who were transferred, admitted or discharged in under four hours. To ensure consistency, data are provided for the equivalent week in each year, which is the fortieth week of the year, for the last five years.
	
		
			 Proportion of people who attended A&E departments (all types) who were transferred, admitted or discharged in under four hours in week 40 for the last five years 
			  Week ending1 A&E performance standard (percentage) Proportion of patients who were transferred, admitted or discharged within four hours of arrival (percentage) 
			 2009-102 3 January 2010 98 96.8 
			 2010-113 2 January 2011 95 93.4 
			 2011-124 8 January 2012 95 94.7 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 6 January 2013 95 93.0 
			 2013-14 5 January 2014 95 94.3 
			 1 Data provided are for the 40th week of the year. 2 Weekly data for 2009-10 are management information and are not publicly available. The official source of A&E performance data at this time was the Quarterly Monitoring Collection. 3 The official source of A&E performance weekly data for 2010-11 was the Quarterly Monitoring collection. 4 For 2011-12, week 40 ended on 8 January 2012. Source: NHS England 
		
	
	It is helpful context to include Hospital Episode Statistics.
	There are three measures of waiting times in the NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) for A&E. These are time to assessment; time to treatment; and time to departure. The information requested is shown in the following tables. Information for 2012-13 is not yet available.
	
		
			 Mean and Median duration to assessment1 for attendances at A&E departments (all types) from April 2008 to March 2012 in England 
			 Minutes 
			  Mean Median 
			 2008-09 60.8 7 
			 2009-10 76.8 9 
			 2010-11 64.5 10 
			 2011-12 33.1 8 
			 1 Duration to assessment: This is the total amount of time in minutes between the patients' arrival and their initial assessment in the A&E department. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A&E to the time when the patient is initially assessed. Note: Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. Source: HES, Health and Social Care Information Centre 
		
	
	
		
			 Mean and Median duration to treatment1 for attendances at A&E departments (all types) from April 2008 to March 2012 in England 
			 Minutes 
			  Mean Median 
			 2008-09 115.6 55 
			 2009-10 102.0 55 
			 2010-11 98.4 58 
			 2011-12 75.4 52 
			 1 Duration to treatment: This is the total amount of time in minutes between the patients' arrival and the start of their treatment. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A&E to the time when the patient began treatment. Note: Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. Source: HES, Health and Social Care Information Centre 
		
	
	
		
			 Mean and Median duration to departure1 for attendances at accident and emergency departments (all types) from April 2008 to March 2012 in England 
			 Minutes 
			  Mean Median 
			 2008-09 136.2 117 
			 2009-10 134.7 122 
			 2010-11 145.7 130 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 138.2 125 
			 1 Duration to departure: This is total amount of time spent in minutes in an A&E department. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A&E to the time when the patient is discharged from A&E care. This includes being admitted to hospital, dying in the department, discharged with no follow up or discharged and referred to another specialist department. Note: Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. Source: HES, Health and Social Care Information Centre

Children’s Centres

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the extent to which local authorities are providing live birth data to Sure Start children’s centres; and what guidance he has provided to local authorities and local NHS providers.

Daniel Poulter: The Department for Education and Department of Health commissioned Jean Gross, former Communication Champion for Children, to lead a group of early years and health professionals to explore ongoing barriers to information sharing in the early years and to identify examples of good practice. The group’s report, ‘Information Sharing in the Foundation Years’, was published in November 2013, along with the Government's response which can be found at:
	www.foundationyears.org.uk/information-sharing/
	The report found that much good local practice exists, with robust systems in some areas for sharing information about live birth data with Sure Start children’s centres. However, we know that there is variation across local areas in how well live birth data is shared.
	The Government agrees that systems need to help professionals to work together and share information. The Department for Education's statutory guidance for children’s centres is clear that health services and local authorities should share information such as live birth data/effectively with children's centres on a regular basis.
	Jean Gross’s report found that lingering issues about information sharing are more about institutional and professional practice and culture than national regulation.
	Current legislation and guidance makes clear that information can already be shared where there are local agreements and processes in place that meet the legal requirements about confidentiality, consent and security of information.
	The Department of Health is taking forward work with NHS England and partners, including the Health and Social Care Information Centre, to explore how regular updates of bulk data on live births can be provided to local authorities, including the benefits of local sharing versus sharing nationally held data.

Dementia

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made towards recruiting 10 per cent of patients living with dementia to participate in a clinical trial.

Norman Lamb: In 2012-13, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Network recruited 11,859 people to studies in dementia. This equates to 3.7% of the diagnosed population.
	As combined investment in dementia research by the NIHR, the Medical Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council rises substantially to an estimated £66.3 million in 2014-15, this is expected to drive increased patient recruitment.

Dental Health

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that oral health is high on the public health agenda.

Daniel Poulter: Oral health remains an area of focus for public health. The Government is committed to improving oral health, particularly that of children. Significant inequalities in oral health persist despite overall reductions in decay levels.
	In recognition of this, the public health outcomes framework for 2013-16 contains an indicator measuring the prevalence of tooth decay in five-year-old children in England, by local authority area.
	Public Health England (PHE) is currently developing updated guidance for health care professionals on the prevention of dental disease, in the form of the third edition of “Delivering Better Oral Health”. The guidance will include specific advice regarding the provision of preventative dental advice and treatment and will be followed by a version for patients.
	PHE is also developing commissioning guides in order to help local authorities exercise their responsibilities to develop oral health strategies and commissioning oral health improvement programmes. This work is led by a national steering group, “Commissioning Better Oral Health”.
	Both sets of guidance will be published by May 2014.

Health

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps NHS England has taken to ensure that (a) dentists and (b) other members of the primary care workforce actively promote its public health agenda.

Daniel Poulter: The public health functions agreement (S7A) for 2014-15—an agreement between the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), and NHS England was published on 11 November. This formalises expectations and a shared approach between the Department of Health and NHS England, supported by Public Health England to drive improvements in population health.
	“Delivering Better Oral Health”, first published in 2007, sets out an evidence base for better prevention of dental disease. Data collection shows that this is being implemented in primary care, evidenced by the high rate of fluoride varnish applications recorded. Commissioners are also able to contract for specific local enhanced services, for example, funding dentists to signpost patients at risk to local smoking and alcohol services. A preventative care pathway is being piloted in around 94 practices across England.
	A wide range of preventative and screening services are commissioned through the (GP) general practitioner contract. The public health agenda is also reflected in the GP quality and outcomes framework which has a number of public health indicators, for example, reductions in smoking. Pharmacists also have a key role to play. The existing community pharmacy contract, for example, requires pharmacies to provide healthy living advice to patients and to participate in a number of public health campaigns every year.

Internet: Bullying

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the devolved Administrations on the health effects of cyber-bullying.

Norman Lamb: The Department of Health have not held discussions with the devolved Administrations on the health effects of cyber bullying.
	However, the United Kingdom Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), jointly chaired by Ministers from Department for Culture Media and Sports, Department for Education and Home Office includes representation from the devolved Administrations.

Medical Records: Databases

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the dates, agendas and minutes of any meetings Ministers and officials in his Department have had on the GP extraction service.

Daniel Poulter: The General Practice (GP) Extraction Service has been managed by NHS England in conjunction with the Health and Social Care Information Centre. The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt) has met with both of them on two occasions in which they outlined their proposals.
	Discussions have also taken place at the Informatics Services Commissioning Group (ISCG) which is a forum where officials meet and can discuss topics such as the GP Extraction Service. Papers and minutes of ISCG meetings are available publicly on the NHS England website at:
	www.england.nhs.uk/iscg/

Perinatal Mortality

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's policy is on reorganising and registering stillbirths before 24 weeks gestation and differentiating such births from miscarriages.

Daniel Poulter: The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953, as amended by the Stillbirth Definition Act 1992, provides for the registration of all babies born dead after 24 weeks' gestation as stillbirths. There are no plans to change the definition of stillbirth which is based on the age of viability.
	We are guided on this issue by the clinical evidence which shows that, while there have been medical advances in caring for premature babies, only a small number of babies born at under 24 weeks gestation survive. When a baby is born dead before 24 weeks' of gestation, hospitals may issue a local certificate to commemorate the baby's birth.

Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2014, Official Report, column 425W, on training, what professional coaching (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have received between May 2010 and January 2013; and what the cost was of that coaching.

Daniel Poulter: The Department has spent £500 on media training for my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Earl Howe) in July 2010. To determine whether any other Ministers undertook professional coaching since May 2010 would incur disproportionate cost.

Overseas Aid

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she plans to allocate development aid equal to 0.7 per cent of UK Gross National Income in 2014-15; and what estimate she has made of this allocation in cash terms.

Alan Duncan: At the time of the spending review in October 2010 the UK Government set budgets to deliver 0.56% of Gross National Income (GNI) as Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2011 and 2012 and 0.7% in 2013 and 2014.
	The Government is committed to meeting the 0.7% GNI commitment in 2014 and 2015. In line with the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) latest GNI forecast, the ODA expenditure required to achieve a ratio of 0.7% in 2014 estimated at £11,925 million.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of people who do not have DAB radio receivers; and what steps she plans to take to assist consumers with the costs of acquiring such receivers before a digital radio switchover takes place.

Edward Vaizey: This data is collected and published quarterly by RAJAR Ltd (Radio Joint Audience Research). In Q3 2013, 45.2% of the adult population had a DAB radio set at home (or 24 million adults), up 10% year on year.
	It is important that the transition to digital is consumer led and a decision about the timetable for a future switchover will only be considered once the listening criteria and coverage criteria have been met. That is the point at which the Government would need to consider the case for assisting consumers.

Gaming Machines

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to her oral statement on fixed odds betting terminals on 8 January 2014, Official Report, column 378 
	(1)  if, in the event that betting shop operators fail to develop a plan by the end of January 2014 to link players with play in a way that allows a better understanding of player behaviour, she will introduce precautionary player protection; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  at what level she plans to introduce a cap on voluntary limits for stakes on FOBT machines; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what steps she is taking to ensure that the review of B category gaming machines by the Responsibility in Gambling Trust has the data required to make recommendations on stakes and prizes; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  how she plans to assess whether precautionary player protection proposals are likely to reduce harm from gambling on FOBT in betting shops; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Grant: holding answer 17 January 2014
	The Government has made clear that further precautionary measures will be introduced on fixed odds betting terminals if the industry fails to implement its player protection measures, if it does not share data for independent research, or if the balance of evidence indicates that further action is required. The new industry-led player protection measures are being introduced from 1 March and will provide new controls on gaming machines, allow players to set voluntary limits on time and spend within the limits of existing regulations.
	The industry must demonstrate to the Government the effectiveness of these and other measures that build on them as soon as possible. The Government has demanded the industry develops a tangible plan to better understand player behaviour by the end of January, in order to assess the effectiveness of player protection measures in reducing harm, and to support the Responsible Gambling Trust's ongoing research programme into category B gaming machines. The Government is urgently working to address the problems that can be caused by fixed odds betting terminals and is prepared to take whatever action the evidence suggests is necessary.

Mobile Phones

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her policy is on reform of the regulatory appeals system relating to mobile contract switching to reduce the length and cost of the process.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 17 January 2014
	The Government carried out a consultation last year on options for reform to streamline regulatory and competition appeals and the consultation can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/regulatory-and-competition-appeals-options-for-reform
	The consultation closed on 11 September 2013 and the Government is considering responses received, with a view to issuing a response early in 2014.

UN Commission on the Status of Women

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which representatives of the UK Government will attend the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2014.

Helen Grant: holding answer 17 January 2014
	The Minister for Women and Equalities, my right hon. Friend the Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), the Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), the Under-Secretary of State for International Development, the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), and I are due to attend the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2014.

Electoral Register

Stephen Twigg: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will assess any potential effect on (a) credit ratings and (b) jury composition of the implementation of individual electoral registration.

Greg Clark: The Government is safeguarding the completeness and accuracy of the register in the transition to individual electoral registration by using data matching to confirm the vast majority of existing electors.
	To ensure that credit ratings and jury composition are unaffected, those people who are not automatically matched will be invited to apply, and then reminded and visited by a canvasser, both in 2014 and 2015. In addition, the Government is making registration more accessible by introducing online registration and providing additional resources at a national and local level to fund activities to boost the completeness and accuracy of the register.

Holidays: Prices

Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research his Department has commissioned into reasons for price differentials charged by airlines and travel companies during (a) school holidays and (b) term times.

Jennifer Willott: The Government has commissioned no research into price differentials charged by airlines and travel companies during the school holidays and term times. The Government is aware that prices increase at times of peak demand where there is limited supply. In respect of holidays abroad, UK holiday organisers compete with organisers from other countries where consumers also wish to holiday during the peak periods. The holiday industry maintains that, in general, the sector relies on profits from the peak periods to enable it to trade throughout the year.

Minimum Wage

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to improve compliance in paying the (a) apprentice rate, (b) youth development rate and (c) 16 to 17 rate of the national minimum wage.

Matthew Hancock: The Government takes the enforcement of the national minimum wage (NMW) very seriously. HMRC review every single complaint from workers, including apprentices, youth workers and 16 to 17-year-olds.
	In addition, the Government is toughening up on enforcement of the NMW. The revised NMW naming and shaming scheme which came into effect on 1 October 2013 made it easier to name employers that break national minimum wage law. By naming and shaming employers, it is hoped that bad publicity will be an additional deterrent to employers who would otherwise be tempted not to pay the NMW. We anticipate naming employers very soon. The Government also announced that we will be increasing the NMW financial penalty in February 2014 subject to regulations receiving parliamentary approval.
	The Government has also stepped up its communication activity to increase the level of awareness of the minimum wage rules across the board, including young people and apprentices. This is to help employers avoid falling foul of minimum wage rules unwittingly, and ensure that individuals are well-informed about their minimum wage eligibility.
	At a more targeted level, we are addressing non-compliance in other ways for apprentices due to our concern about the level of employer non-compliance with the NMW rules for apprentices. We are ensuring that complaints from apprentices are prioritised by HMRC.
	In addition, in England, I am writing to each new apprentice on a Government-funded apprenticeship, setting out what they can expect from their apprenticeship—this includes information on NMW entitlement. We have also ensured that information on the NMW rules is included in the information packs that the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) issues to prospective apprenticeship employers.
	Anyone not receiving the minimum wage that they are legally entitled to should call the pay and work rights helpline on 0800 917 2368.

Parents: Surveys

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when the next Maternity and Paternity Rights and Women Returners Survey between his Department and the Department for Work and Pensions will be (a) commissioned, (b) collected and (c) published.

Jennifer Willott: The Government intends to conduct an evaluation of the new system of Shared Parental Leave after its introduction. It is anticipated that the next survey in the Maternity and Paternity Rights series will be commissioned as part of this work. The exact timing of the survey has yet to be decided.

UK Trade and Investment: West Midlands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has to increase the number of UK Trade & Investment staff in the West Midlands.

Michael Fallon: There are no plans to increase the number of staff directly employed by UK Trade and Investment in the west midlands. There are currently 39 international trade advisers in the region including three additional advisers appointed in 2012 and six additional advisers appointed in 2013.

UK Trade and Investment: West Midlands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what financial support UK Trade & Investment West Midlands received from the Government in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2013.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment West Midlands received the following amounts for trade work: £2,782,400 in 2010-11, £3,294,000 in 2011-12 and £4,679,100 in 2013-14.

UK Trade and Investment: West Midlands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many UK Trade & Investment employees in the West Midlands were focused on attracting inward investment to Shropshire in (a) 2010, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) resource tasked with attracting inward investment is divided between the UK and priority markets overseas, There were 34 priority markets in 2010 and 2012. In 2013, these rose to 40.
	Figures for the regional development agency responsible for the west midlands in 2010 are not available.
	UKTI investment resource in the UK and priority markets overseas is responsible for supporting inward investment to the UK and promoting UK capability at the national, regional and local level. In 2012 and 2013 no employees were deployed on a county by county basis within England.

UK Trade and Investment: West Midlands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many overseas trade delegations UK Trade & Investment West Midlands organised for Shropshire firms in (a) 2008, (b) 2010 and (c) 2012.

Michael Fallon: UK Trade and Investment West Midlands organised five trade missions in 2008/09, nine in 2010/11 and 13 in 2012/13. All of these visits were open to companies from Shropshire. As well as regionally organised missions, companies from Shropshire are also able to participate in a wide range of sector focused missions organised by UK Trade and Investment.